The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-01-09
lis IL a Railroad COmmiss'on?''

The following from the Sanford .JOur
nal is SO pertinent To a discussion inter
esting to our readers, that we reproduce
it:
In the closing paragraph Of an edito-
rial in its issue of the Goth ulu., in refer
ence to a desired change Of schedule on
the j.. +. & h. w. Railroad, headed the
Issue Will Not Down" the Times
Union says:
"'How much wiser as well as more
graceful it would be for the Railroad
managers to acquiesce voluntarily in a
reasonable request, than to stand in an
attitude of defiance until a tide of en-
Uttered popular feeling mandates the
Legislature, and cOmpels experiments
which it is best for all concerned not to
have tried
Exactly what the writer of the edito-
rial means is difficult 10 determine, al
though the language is clear enough.
But let us see what we can get at as to
the writer's meaning. The '"dcquies-
ceHce" desired is the putting on of a
morning train, or the change of sched-
ule on the j.. L. Il X. w. Railroad, so as
to give Jacksony lille the advantage over
Savannah, as to the early delivery of pa
pers and goods. The tide of "embittered
popular feeling' which is to inundate
the Legislature IL to be that created by
the Times Onion, in its attack upon the
officials OF the aforesaid Road. for fail
ure on their part to comply with the
unreasonable request" above mentioned.
But now what Id meant by. and cOBspeis
experiments Thich as best for all con
ceraed not to hare tTied' we find great
difficulty in determining.
But there is no difficulty in our being
oh 10 To AnfA har rhA II lot,
of the great State of Florida, assem-
bled for the purpose of enactlng such
laws as in its wisdom it may deem
most conducive for the best inter
est, welfare and protection Of the peO-
pie at large. should not be inundated
by any tide of embittered feeling grow
ing out of purely local question to
such an extent as TO drive them into
experimenting with the most important
interest of the State at large, and es-
pecially so when the very head source
of ''the embitteied tide of popular feel
ing which Is to force Them to such a
point, admits in the beginning that it
rs best for all not to try such expert
ments, The Legislature will we trust
go slowly into the experimenting
business" IL that experimenting means
a Railroad Commission for our State.
We have no objection to Jacksonville
getting all II possibly can out of any
and all the railroads 20 further her
local interest and trade, but we do not
believe that the time has yet come for
our State to be saddled with a Railroad
Commission in order to accomplish
these ends. The members elect of our
next Legislature should preserve the
above clipping and bear it in mind
when they begin to feel the forcing of
the ''embIttered tide of public opinion"
1t is not certain that the threat con-
tanned in the paragraph above quoted
means Railroad Commission. but we
surmise that it does, as il is perhaps the
only way in which the Legislature can
experiment with the railroad interests of
our State. And we have been all the
more willing to believe that such surmise
Is correct since q certain gentleman from
another portion Of the State visited our
county for the purpose of looking up the
interest Of a Railroad Commission. But
as the people of this county want more
railroads and fe,rer officers TO feed from
the public treasury, he did not find many
warm advocates of a Commission. just
so long as the great Times onion can
carry its points in favor of our metropo-
lis, without asking the Legislature ito
make experiments which for all con-
cerned it il best not to have tried" and
without interfering with the fast mail